Physicochemical Properties of Microencapsulated ω-3 Salmon Oil with Egg White Powder

The objective of this study was to produce microencapsulated omega(ω)-3 fatty acids (PUFAs) fortified egg white (EW) powders and to characterize their nutritional and physical properties. Stable emulsions (E-SO-EW) containing 3.43 (g/100 g) salmon oil (SO), 56.21 (g/100 g) EW, and 40.36 (g/100 g) water and a control (E-EW) containing EW and water were prepared. E-SO-EW and E-EW were separately spray dried at 130, 140, and 150 °C inlet air temperatures. This resulted in 3 microencapsulated SO fortified EW powders (SO-EW), and 3 dried EW powders (DEW). The powders were analyzed for microencapsulation efficiency (ME), color, fatty acids methyl esters, protein, fat, moisture, ash, amino acids, minerals, microstructure, and particle size. The EPA and DHA content of SO and the ME of the powders were not affected by the inlet air temperature. The crude protein content of SO-EW powders was approximately 24 (g/100 g) lower than dried EW powders. Leucine was the most abundant essential amino acid found in all the powders. Most of the powders' median particle size ranged from 15 to 30 μm. The study demonstrated that microencapsulated ω-3 salmon oil with high quality EW protein can be produced by spray drying.